The Associated Press
ORLANDO, Fla.—The last of the bodies were removed from an Orlando gay nightclub overnight as investigators dug into the background of the gunman, who called 9-1-1 to profess allegiance to the Islamic State during the attack that left 49 victims dead.
“We will not be defined by the act of a cowardly hater,” Mayor Buddy Dyer vowed today, a day after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
The killer, who died in a gun battle with a SWAT team early yesterday, was identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American-born Muslim who worked as a security guard in Florida.
FBI officials said they had investigated him in 2013 and 2014 on suspicion of terrorist sympathies, but could not make a case against him.
Wielding an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and a handgun, Mateen opened fire at the crowded Pulse Orlando club in such close quarters that the bullets hardly could miss.
He was gunned down after police used explosives and a small armoured vehicle to punch a hole in a wall and allow dozens of club-goers to escape, police said.
“I’ve always felt so safe here for my family, kids. And now I don’t know,” said Marlon Massey, who lives across the street from the club, in the city known to tourists around the globe as the home of Walt Disney World and other theme parks.
U.S. President Barack Obama called the shooting an “act of terror” and an “act of hate” against a place of “solidarity and empowerment” for gays.
Law enforcement authorities said Mateen made his 9-1-1 call from the club.
Authorities have not said whether he was directed by the Islamic State or simply acted in sympathy with the extremist group in a so-called lone wolf attack—something counterterrorism experts have been saying for years is extremely difficult to detect and thwart.
The picture became murkier, though, when Mateen’s Afghan immigrant father suggested another motive: anti-gay hatred.
The father said his son got angry a few months ago when he saw two men kissing in Miami.
And Mateen’s ex-wife attributed the violence to mental illness, saying he was bipolar.
The Islamic State’s radio called Mateen “one of the soldiers of the caliphate in America.”
Al-Bayan Radio, a media outlet for the extremist group, hailed the attack—saying it targeted a gathering of Christians and gays, and that it was the worst attack on U.S. soil since 9/11.
It was unclear, though, whether the group planned or knew of the attack beforehand.
Mateen’s father, Seddique Mir Mateen, told reporters today that the massacre was “the act of a terrorist,” and added: “I apologize for what my son did. I am as sad and mad as you guys are.”
He wouldn’t go into details about any religious or political views his son held, saying he didn’t know.
Asked whether he missed his son, he replied: “I don’t miss anything about him. What he did was against humanity.”
Thirty-nine of the dead were killed at the club while the others died at hospitals, the mayor said.
By this morning, families of 24 of the victims had been notified, Dyer added.
Workers removed the bodies four at a time on stretchers and loaded them into white vans. The action was repeated over and over.
The covered bodies were taken to the county medical examiner’s office. All were there by 11 p.m., Dyer said.
At least 53 people were hospitalized, most in critical condition, and a surgeon at Orlando Regional Medical Center said the death toll was likely to climb.
This morning, officials stressed there was no immediate threat to the public.
The shooting started about 2 a.m., with more than 300 people inside the Pulse, where it was Latin night.
“He had an automatic rifle so nobody stood a chance,” said Jackie Smith, who saw two friends next to her get shot.
“I just tried to get out of there.”
Jon Alamo had been dancing for hours when he wandered into the club’s main room just in time to see the gunman.
“You ever seen how Marine guys hold big weapons, shooting from left to right? That’s how he was shooting at people,” he said.
“My first thought was, ‘Oh, my God, I’m going to die,’” Alamo added.
“I was praying to God that I would live to see another day.”
Pulse patron Eddie Justice texted his mother, Mina: “Mommy I love you. In club they shooting.”
About 30 minutes later, hiding in a bathroom, he texted her: “He’s coming. I’m gonna die.”
Justice’s name eventually would be added to the list of the dead.
On the same day as the Orlando attack, an Indiana man armed with three assault rifles and chemicals used to make explosives was arrested in southern California.
He told police he was headed to a West Hollywood gay pride parade, authorities said.
